COMPOUND CAPABLE OF INTRODUCING AT LEAST ONE MOLECULE INTO A CELL

Abstract: The present invention relates to a compound capable of introducing at least one molecule into a cell and of formula (I) in which: A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH2 group and a hydrophobic group; n is a positive integer; and R<2>, R<3> and R<4> are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains. The invention also relates to a positively charged vesicle whose membrane comprises this compound, to a vector comprising at least one molecule combined with said vesicle, to the cell, animal and/or plant transformed by said compound or said vector as well as to the pharmaceutical or cosmetic composition comprising said vector and/or the cell transformed by said vector. The invention also relates to the process for the synthesis of said compound and the process for the production of said vector.

Description: COMPOUND CAPABLE OF INTRODUCING AT LEAST ONE MOLECULE INTO A CELL Object of the invention The invention relates to a compound capable of introducing at least one molecule into a cell. The invention also relates to a positively charged vesicle whose membrane comprises this compound, to a vector containing at least one molecule combined with the vesicle according to the invention; to the cell, animal and/or plant transformed by said compound or said vector as well as to the pharmaceutical or cosmetic composition, comprising said vector and/or the cell transformed by said vector. The invention also relates to the process for the synthesis of said compound and to the process for the production of said vector. Another aspect of the invention relates to the use of the compound and/or vector for the introduction in vitro and/or in vivo of at least one molecule into a cell. Technological background and prior state of the art which form the basis of the invention Various processes are used in genetic engineering and/or in pharmacy to introduce molecules such as nucleic acids or active therapeutic agents into cells. Transfection is a method which is widely used for introducing genetic material into cells, for studying the expression of genes, and for developing strategies for gene therapy. Numerous experimental procedures using physical modifications (microinjection, electroporation and the like) or chemical modifications (dextran phosphate, calcium phosphate and the like) of membranes have been developed with varying success for introducing nucleic acids into cells using this method. Another axis of research relates to the development of new amphiphilic cationic vectors which have demonstrated their effectiveness and their ease of use for causing the genetic material to penetrate into cells in vitro (P.L. Feigner et al . , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 84, pp. 7413-7417 (1987)) . Some of these vectors such as the Lipofectin ® N- (2, 3-dioleyloxy)propyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (DOTMA) from GIBCO BRL or the Transfection-reagent ® N- (2, 3-dioleoyloxy)propyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium methyl sulfate (DOTAP) from Boehringer Mannheim GmbH, have been commercialized. Patent Application O91/15501 (YALE UNIVERSITY) also describes a positively charged reagent consisting of a neutral phospholipid such as dioleoylphosphatidyl- ethanolamine and a cationic lipid such as stearylamine, a tertiary amine or a benzothorium salt for the transfec- tion of nucleic acids. Nevertheless, these products require large quantities of reagents in order to obtain an effective transfection of cells and therefore increase the cytotoxicity of the products and their cost (thus, the price of the "Lipofectin ® " product (DOTMA) is US$ 145/ml, equivalent to US$ 10 per transfection) . In addition, Lipofectin ® (DOTMA) has the addi- tional disadvantage of not being capable of being added to a serum. The document "Vesicle Formation by double long- chain Amidines" (Fabienne Defrise-Quertain et al . ) (J. Chem. Soc, Chem. Commun., 1986, p. 1060 to 1062) describes the formation of vesicles consisting of 3-tetradecylamino-N-tert-butyl-N' -tetradecylopropion- amidine . However, this document does not contain suffi¬ cient description for the preparation of these compounds. Indeed, this document does not indicate the reaction temperatures to be used or the fact that it is necessary to use a basic aqueous solution in order to form the compound of formula NR^ // CH 2 = CHC N OR in which OR is the residue of an alcohol of formula ROH and R 2 is chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains; an intermediate compound which is necessary for the production of the compounds according to the invention. Aims of the invention The aim of the present invention is to produce a new compound and/or a new vector capable of introducing at least one molecule into a cell, without exhibiting the disadvantages of the prior state of the art . The invention is also intended for producing a pharmaceutical or cosmetic composition comprising said vector and/or said cell transformed by said vector. An additional aim of the present invention is intended for producing a vector which can be used in a serum. Characteristic elements of the invention The present invention relates to a compound of general formula: in which - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer, preferably n>l; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen ••1 from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains. Preferably, A represents a radical of formula - X - R 1 in which - R 1 is chosen from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, and - X represents a divalent atom or a divalent group of atoms chosen from the group consisting of - the carbon and/or oxygen derivatives: the sulfur derivatives 3-; -S 11-; -ISI-; -CII-S-; -S-«C-; -0-SI!-0-; -0-S »-0-; -S-0-; -0-S I- and their selenium and tellurium analogs; - the nitrogen derivatives; 0 0 fi a -NH-; -C-NH-; -NH-C-; -NH-NH-; -N=N- Advantageously, R 1 and R 3 or R 1 and R 4 are chosen from the group consisting of hydrocarbon chains con¬ taining 12 or more carbon atoms, preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compound corresponds to the following formula: in which 12 ≤ m < to 18. The invention also relates to a positively charged vesicle having a membrane comprising a compound according to the invention as well as a vector consisting of said vesicle associated with at least one molecule chosen from the group consisting of nucleic acids such as plasmids, messenger RNAs , antisense RNAs, cDNAs, synthetic oligonucleotides and the like which are capable of genetically transforming a cell, antigens, polypep- tides or optionally glycosylated proteins and/or active therapeutic or cosmetic agents. Another aspect of the invention relates to a process for the introduction of at least one molecule chosen from the group consisting of nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides or optionally glycosylated pro¬ teins and/or active therapeutic or cosmetic agents, into a cell, in which process said cell is brought into contact with said molecule and a compound and/or a vesicle according to the invention. Likewise, this introduction process can be achieved by bringing said cell into contact with a vector according to the inven- tion. According to a first embodiment of the process of the invention, a cell is treated in vitro in order to produce plants or animals which are transgenic or in order to produce gene therapy, in particular for the treatment of cellular disorders such as cancer or infec¬ tions such as viral or bacterial infections or the like. According to the second preferred embodiment of the process of the invention, a cell is treated in vitro in order to produce recombinant microorganisms, plants and/or animals which are transgenic or in order to produce gene therapy. The present invention also relates to the cell transformed by the vector according to the invention, the animal and/or plant transformed by the vector or said cell according to the invention, as well as a cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition such as a vaccine, comprising the vector according to the invention and/or the trans¬ formed cell according to the invention. Another aspect of the invention relates to the process for the synthesis of the compound in which compounds of formula CH 2 =CHC≡N and R 2 -Cl are reacted with anhydrous ferric chloride so as to form the tetrachloro- ferrate of a compound of formula CH 2 =CHC≡N + -R 2 , this tetrachloroferrate is reacted with an alcohol of formula ROH and then in a basic aqueous solution, so as to form a compound of formula CH 2 = CHC \θ which is treated with an amine of formula R 3 -NH-R 4 so as to form a compound of formula: R 4 The invention also relates to a process for the production of the vector according to the invention in which at least one molecule chosen from the group con¬ sisting of nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides and optionally glycosylated proteins and/or active therapeu- tic or cosmetic agents are reacted with a vesicle accord¬ ing to the invention. Another aspect of the invention relates to the intermediate compound of formula: in which OR is the residue of an alcohol of formula ROH, and R 2 is chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains. A final aspect of the invention relates to the use of the vector and/or the compound according to the invention for the introduction of one or more molecules into a cell in vitro as well as the use of the vector according to the invention for the introduction of one or more molecules into a cell in vivo. Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention The present invention is based on the unexpected fact that a compound of general formula: in which - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is an integer, preferably > 1, - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, can form vesicles and combine with other molecules to form a vector capable of introducing said molecules into an animal or plant cell or a microorganism. By "other molecules" there is understood any molecular structure such as a nucleic acid, an antigen, a polypeptide or an optionally glycosylated protein or an active therapeutic or cosmetic agent, capable of modi¬ fying the state of said cell, in particular the physico- chemical state or the genome of said cell . 1 ) Synthes i s of 3 - alkylamino -N- tert - butyl - N ' - a lkyl - propionamidine ( 8 ) m=12;14;16;18 Acrylonitrile is converted to a nitrilium salt 4 .# which is converted "in situ" by ethanol 5_ to ethyl N-tert- butylpropenimidate 1_, a colorless liquid which is stable at cold temperature (refrigerator) for several weeks. Nevertheless, left at room temperature, compound 7 . becomes slowly degraded by polymerization. The imidate 7 . (1 equivalent) , treated with the alkylamine 5_ (2 equi- valents) at 65°C, gives in all cases the double-long- chain amidine 8 . with yields of 60-65% (see Table 1) . To a stirred suspension of 65 g (0.4 mol) of anhydrous ferric chloride in 300 ml of anhydrous dichloromethane at -25°C, are added 28 ml (0.42 mol) of acrylonitrile 1 . After 5 minutes, the red suspension is cooled to -35°C and 46 ml (0.42 mol) of tert-butyl chloride (2 . ) are then added. The color passes from red to ochre thus forming N-tert-butylacrylonitrilium tetrachloroferrate (4 . ) . The suspension is cooled to -80°C and 46.8 g (10.8 mol) of 0 absolute ethanol (dried and distilled over magnesium) are added thereto, with stirring. The temperature of the mixture is allowed to rise up to -20°C and then it is added to 800 ml of 1.5 M aqueous sodium hydroxide cooled to 0°C. The mixture is then separated after settling has 5 taken place at room temperature. The aqueous phase is extracted 3 times with 100 ml of dichloromethane. The combined organic phases are dried over magnesium sulfate and then filtered. After addition of a spatula-tip quantity of hydroquinone, the solution is evaporated using a rotary evaporator, the bath should not exceed 30°C. The liquid residue is then distilled under vacuum on a small column provided with a dephlegmator at 56°C under 30 torr. Yield 41.01 g, equivalent to 66% of 1_ . A suspension of 2 equivalents of alkylamine 5_ in 1 equivalent of acrylimidate 7 . is stirred under vacuum produced by a water-jet pump and heated to 65°C. After 6 h, the mixture is allowed to cool. It is taken up in hexane and filtered on an γ-Tonerde alumina column. The filtrate is evaporated under vacuum and then pump-dried, with stirring, and by melting and solidifying the amidine 8 . several times (see Table 1) . The physical, spectroscopic and analytical characteris¬ tics are given in Table 2. Table 1 Synthesis of 3-alkylamino-N-tert-butyl-N' -alkylpropion- amidine 8 . from ethyl N-tert-butylacylimidate 1_ . Alkylamine 5_ Acrylimidate 1_ Hexane and Yield Al 2 0 3 n = 12; 18.5 g 7.75 g 50 ml; 200 g 15.47 g; 65% (0.1 mol) (0.05 mol) n - 14; 21.3 g 7.75 g 50 ml; 200 g 17.82 g; 66% (0.1 mol) (0.05 mol) n = 16; 19.28 g 6.2 g 60 ml; 160 g 14.6 g; 62% (0.08 mol) (0.04 mol) n = 18; 21.5 g 6.2 g 80 ml; 160 g 15.69 g; 61% (0.08 mol) (0.04 mol) Table 2 Physical, Analytical and Spectroscopic data of amidines (8) amidine (8) m.p. °C (a) Molecular Elementary analysis (b) Mass formulae Spectra (M) calculated found (c) (%) (%) M+ m=12 27-29 C 3 ιH £5 N 3 C 77.59 77.52 479 (479.85) H 13.65 13.90 N 8.76 8.72 m=14 31-33 C 35 H 73 N 3 C 78.43 78.13 535 (535.96) H 13.73 14.10 N 7.84 7.72 m=16 37-39 C 3 ,H 81 N 3 C 79.11 79.43 591 (592.06) H 13.79 14.22 N 7.10 7.06 m=18 40-42 C 43 H β!|N 3 C 79.68 79.62 647 (648.17) H 13.84 14.05 N 6.48 6.57 (a) Determined on a Leitz Mikroskopheiztisch 350 and the m.ps. are not corrected (b) Elementary analyses carried out at "Searl-Continental Pharma Laboratory" (c) Determined on a Mass Spectrometer Hitachi RMU-6D 2) Formation of vesicles consisting of 3-tetradecylamino- N-tert-butyl-N' -tetradecylpropionamidine (pure diC-n- amidine (1 mg/ml) ) A solution of diC 14 -amidine is prepared in ethanol (100 mg/ml) . 30 μl (3 mg) of this solution are rapidly' injected, by means of a Hamilton syringe, into 3 ml of Tris/HCl buffer (0.01 M, pH 7.4) , heated to 30°C. During the operation, the solution is gently stirred by means of a magnetic bar. The vesicles form immedia¬ tely. 3) Formation of vesicles consisting of 3-tetradecylamino- N-tert-butyl-N' -tetradecylpropionamidine ( (8) ,m=14) and phosphatidylethanolamine (diC^-amidine/PE (1 mg/ml) ) 1.25 mg of diC 14 -amidine and 1.75 mg of PE (bovine brain) dissolved in chloroform (10 mg/ml) are dried under a nitrogen stream so as to form a thin film on the walls of the tube; traces of the solvent are removed under vacuum overnight. The film is then mechanically stirred in the presence of 3 ml of Tris/HCl buffer (0.01 M, pH 7.4) . The cloudy suspen¬ sion obtained is then sonicated (Branson B-12 Sonifier, 60 ) under a nitrogen stream and on an ice bath until a clear suspension is produced (about 10 min) . Various in vitro transfection methods are given in the following examples given solely by way of illus¬ tration of the invention. Example I 1) Formation of the vector vesicles-plasmid DNA 5 μg of plasmid DNA and 11 μg (11 μl) of pure diC 14 -amidine suspension (or 25 μg (25 μl) of diC 14 -ami- dine/PE suspension) are separately diluted in a final volume of 50 μl with distilled water and sterilized. Both solutions are then mixed and incubated for 15 min at room temperature . 2) Transfection of adherent cells The cells are cultured in 6-well culture dishes until they are 80-90% confluent. The suspension containing the complex (diC 14 - amidine-DNA or diC 14 -amidine/PE-DNA) is gently mixed with 2 ml of culture medium. The culture medium used for the transfection operation is identical to the usual culture medium for the cells to be transformed. The optional presence of serum in the medium has no inhibitory action on the transfection process and can even prove necessary for many cell lines (especially in suspension) . The mixture thus formed constitutes the "transfection medium" . The cells (about 10 s ) are washed with the culture medium and the transfection medium is added. The medium is incubated for the desired period. This period may depend on the cell line to be transfected but an incubation time of 2-3 h is generally used. After incuba¬ tion, the transfection medium is replaced with fresh medium; 6 hours later, the cells can be transferred into 100 mm culture dishes. 3) Transfection of cells in suspension The suspension containing the complex (diC 14 -ami- dine-DNA or diC 14 -amidine/PE-DNA) is gently mixed with 10 ml of medium. The mixture thus formed constitutes the "transfection medium". Aliquots of 10 6 cells are centri- fuged and the pellets are resuspended in the transfection medium. The cell suspensions are distributed into 100 mm culture dishes. The suspensions are incubated for the desired period; after incubation, the cells are centri- fuged and resuspended in 10 ml of fresh medium and then cultured normally. CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cells are cultured in F12 medium supplemented with 1% glutamine and 1% penicil¬ lin/streptomycin and containing 10% FCS (Fetal Calf Serum. K562 (human myeloid) cells are cultured in RFMI medium supplemented with antibiotics and non-essential amino acids and containing 10 % FCS (0.5-1 x 10 6 cells/ml) . Both cell lines are cultured under a C0 2 atmosphere (37°C, 5% C0 2 ) . The plasmid used is derived from the commercial plasmid pCMV5 into which the bacterial replication origin SI, the ampicillin resistance gene and the CAT gene of bacterial origin have been inserted. It is approximately 5000 base pairs in size and is stored at a concentration of 1 mg/ml . The general procedure described above was fol¬ lowed; 5 μg (5 μl) of plasmid DNA and 11 μg (11 μl) of pure diC 14 -amidine suspension (or 25 μg (25 μl) of diC 14 - amidine/PE suspension) prepared as described above are used. The CHO cells (adherent) are plated in the 6-well culture dishes the day before the experiment in an amount of 10 6 cells/well; while the K562 cells (in suspension) are used in an amount of 10 6 cells per experiment. The incubation was carried out for 3 h for the two cell lines. The transfection medium is the normal culture medium (with serum) with which vesicle vector (pure diC 14 -amidine or diC 14 -amidine/PE/DNA) has been mixed under the conditions described in the general procedure. After incubation, the cells are treated as described above; the CHO cells are transferred after 6 h into 100 mm culture dishes. The two cell lines continue to grow for 36 h before the CAT assay performed as described by Gorman et al . , B.H. (1982) , Mol. Cell. Biol . 2, 1044-1051; in brief, the cell lysates are incubated at 37°C with [ 14 C] chloramphenicol and acetyl CoA for 2 h and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase is eluted by TLC (thin-layer chromatography) with chloroform/ methanol 95:5. The acetylation of chloramphenicol is determined by autoradiography on the chromatograms and counting of the spots on the plate. Example II Table 3 below gives the comparison of the trans¬ fection efficiency of the CAT gene for diC 14 and the product DOTAP ® marketed by Boehringer Mannheim, expressed as percentage of acetylated chloramphenicol in the cellular extract, under identical experimental condi- tions. The cell lines of this example are CHO cells (adherent cells) and K562 cells (suspension cells) . The composition of the vector comprises: μg quantities of plasmid DNA and μg quantities of cationic vesicles. Table 3 Adherent cells Suspension cells Composition diC 14 DOTAP diC 14 DOTAP of vector 2 + 5 (μg) 63% 32% 60% 29% 5 + 10 (μg) 65% 40% 68% 36% The diC 14 allows transfection efficiencies with quantities two to three times lower than the available commercial products, namely DOTAP ® from Boehringer Mannheim and Lipofectin ® from Gibco BRL; in addition, the transfection efficiency advantageously limits the cyto- toxicity of the product used. Example III Transfection of genetic material 100 μg of BLV (Bovine Leukemia Virus) genome and 200 μg of amidine C14 were hypodermically injected into a sheep. After 1 month, the virus envelope protein (51 kD) is detected immunochemically in the sheep's serum.

Claims: CLAIMS A compound of formula: N-R' A - (CH 2 ) n - C^ X N-R 3 R 4 in which - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer, and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains. 2. The compound as claimed in claim 1, in which A represents a residue of formula - X - R 1 , in which - R 1 is chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, and - X is chosen from the group consisting of 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 11 11 II II II '/ 0 -S-; -S-; -S-; -C-S-; -S-C-; -0-S-0-; -0-S-0- ; -S-0-; -0-S-, II II 11 It o o o o their selenium analogs, their tellurium analogs; 0 0 -NH- -C II-NH-; -NH-C11-; -NH-NH-; -N=N-, 0 0 0 II \. w -CH 2 -; -C-; -0-; -0C- et -C-0- 3. The compound as claimed in claim 1, in which R 1 and R 3 are chosen from the groups comprising hydrocarbon chains comprising at least 12 carbon atoms. 4. The compound as claimed in claim 1, in which R 1 and R 3 are chosen from the group comprising hydrocarbon chains comprising 12 to 18 carbon atoms. 5. The compound as claimed in claim 1, in which R 1 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising hydrocarbon chains comprising at least 12 carbon atoms . 6. The compound as claimed in claim 1, in which R 1 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising hydrocarbon chains comprising 12 to 18 carbon atoms. 7. The compound as claimed in claim 1, in which n is an integer greater than 1. 8. The compound as claimed in claim 2, said compound corresponding to the formula: in which m is an integer from 12 to 18. 9. A positively charged vesicle having a membrane comprising at least one compound of formula: in which - A is chosen from the group comprising the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains . 10. The vesicle as claimed in claim 9, whose membrane comprises at least one compound of formula: in which m is a integer from 12 to 18, and X is chosen from --the group consisting of 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 II II II II II H |l ij . -S- ; -S-; -S-; -C-S-; -S-C-; -o-S-0-; -o-S-O- ; -S-0-; -0-S- ■x II II n o 0 0 0 and their selenium and tellurium analogs; 0 0 U 11 -NH-; -C-NH-; -NH-C; -NH-NH; -N=N- 0 0 0 U II l -CH 2 ~; -C-; -0-; -0C-; -C-0-. 11. A vector consisting of a positively charged vesicle comprising at least one compound of formula: .N R A - (CH,) n - C N - R- -R< in which: - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, said vesicle being combined with at least one molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents. 12. The vector as claimed in claim 11, wherein the vesicle comprises at least one compound of formula: in which m is an integer from 12 to 18, and X is chosen from the group consisting of 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n n u n \ u n n -S-; -S-; -S- ; -C-S-; - S-C; -0-S-O-; -0-S-0-; -S-0-; -0-S-; 0 0 0 0 their selenium analogs, their tellurium analogs, 0 0 -NH-? -C-NH-; -NH-C; -NH-NH; -N=N- II I II -CH- -C-; -0-; -0C-; -C-0-, 13. A process for the introduction of at least one molecule chosen from the group consisting of nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents, into a cell, in which said cell is brought into contact with said molecule and a compound of formula: N - R 2 A - (CH 2 ) n - C N - R 3 \R 4 in which: - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains. 14. The process as claimed in claim 13, in which said cell is brought into contact with said molecule and a compound of formula: in which A represents a radical of formula -X-R 1 , with R 1 chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, and with X chosen from the group consisting of: -S-; - their selenium analogs , their tellurium analogs , 0 p It II -NH-; -C-NH-; -NH-C; -NH-NH; -N-N- 0 0 0 \1 n -CH 2 - -C- ; -0-; -0C-; -C-0- . 15. The process as claimed in claim 13, in which said cell is brought into contact with said molecule and with a positively charged vesicle whose membrane comprises at least one compound of formula 16. The process as claimed in claim 15, in which the vesicle comprises at least one compound of formula: ^N - C(CH 3 ) 3 CH 3 (CH 2 ) B -. 1 X " (CH 2 ) 2 - C —NH(CH 2 ) m _ 1 CH 3 in which m is an integer from 12 to 18. 17. The process as claimed in claim 13, in which said cell is brought into contact with a vector consisting of a positively charged vesicle whose membrane comprises at least one compound of formula: said vesicle being combined with a molecule chosen from nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents. 18. The process as claimed in claim 13, in which a cell is treated in vivo. 19. The process as claimed in claim 13, in which a cell is treated in vitro. 20. A cell transformed by a process in which said cell is brought into contact with a molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, antigens, polypep¬ tides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents, and with a compound of formula: ,N - R 2 A - (CH 2 ) n - C N - R- in which: - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains. 21. The cell as claimed in claim 20, said cell being transformed by bringing it into contact with a vector consisting of a positively charged vesicle whose membrane comprises at least one compound of formula said vesicle being combined with a molecule chosen from nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeu¬ tic agents and cosmetic agents. 22. A non-human animal transformed with a product chosen from the group consisting of: - the vectors consisting of a positively charged vesicle comprising at least one compound of formula: in which : - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, said vesicle being combined with at least one molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, anti¬ gens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents, and - the cells transformed by a process in which said cell is brought into contact with a molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents and a compound of formula N - R 2 A - (CH 2 ) n - N - R- •R« as described hereinbefore. 23. A plant transformed with a product chosen from the group consisting of: the vectors consisting of a positively charged vesicle comprising at least one compound of formula: in which: - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positve integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, said vesicle being combined with at least one molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, anti¬ gens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents, and - the cells transformed by a process in which said cell is brought into contact with a molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents and a compound of formula as described above. 24. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a product chosen from the group consisting of: - the vectors consisting of a positively charged vesicle comprising at least one compound of formula: .N - R 2 A - (CH 2 ) n -N - R 3 •R 4 in which: - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, said vesicle being combined with at least one molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, anti¬ gens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents, and - the cells transformed by a process in which said cell is brought into contact with a molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents and a compound of formula N A - (CH 2 ) n - C -N - p- as described hereinbefore. 25. A cosmetic composition comprising a product chosen from the group consisting of: - the vectors consisting of a positively charged vesicle comprising at least one compound of formula: in which: - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, said vesicle being combined with at least one molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, anti¬ gens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents, and - the cells transformed by a process in which said cell is brought into contact with a molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated proteins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents and a compound of formula N - R A - (CH 2 ) n - C • N - R 3 as described hereinbefore. 26. A process for the synthesis of a compound of formula: N - R^ A - (CH 2 ) n - C ■N - R 3 in which: - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, in which compounds of formula CH 2 =CH≡N and R 2 -Cl are reacted with anhydrous ferric chloride so as to form the tetrachloroferrate of a compound of formula CH 2 =CHC-=N*-R 2 , this tetrachloroferrate is reacted with an alcohol of formula ROH and then with a basic aqueous solution, so as to form a compound of formula N ^ CH 2 = CHC OR which is treated with an amine of formula R 3 -NH-R 4 so as to form a compound of formula: 27. A process for the production of a vector in which: - a positively charged vesicle comprising at least one compound of formula: N - R 2 A - (CH 2 ) n -N - R 3 \R 4 in which: - A is chosen from the group consisting of the radicals comprising a hydrophilic group or a CH 2 group and a hydrophobic group; - n is a positive integer; and - R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains, is brought into contact with a molecule chosen from the group comprising nucleic acids, antigens, polypeptides, glycosylated polypeptides, proteins, glycosylated pro¬ teins, therapeutic agents and cosmetic agents. 28. A compound of formula: NR CH, = CHC OR in which OR is the residue of an alcohol of formula ROH, and R 2 is chosen from the group comprising a hydrogen atom, saturated alkyl chains, unsaturated alkyl chains and substituted alkyl chains .

Inventors: FUKS ROBERT, RUYSSCHAERT JEAN-MARIE, FUKS, ROBERT, RUYSSCHAERT, JEAN-MARIE
Applicants: FUKS ROBERT, RUYSSCHAERT JEAN MARIE, UNIV BRUXELLES, FUKS, ROBERT, RUYSSCHAERT, JEAN-MARIE, UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES
Application year: 1994
Main classification: C07C257
IPC codes: A01H5, A01K67, A61K8, A61K9, A61K38, A61K45, A61K47, A61K48, C07C257, C07C327, C07H21, C12N5, C12N15, C12R1